Jordan McAlpine / The Rink Live

Fantasy Summary

Big, strong, smart defenseman with a lot of little benefits


Observations

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June 2025- Kleber took the ice as an NCAA rookie this past season, playing for the University of Minnesota-Duluth. As a towering 6-6 defenseman, offense won’t be (and hasn’t been) his forte. He scored two goals and three assists for five points across 33 games. He will be a wait before he’s in range of making the show, and if and when that time comes, he’s more likely to be a defensive type of defenseman in the bottom four. Alex Wyatt

June 2024 – Kleber was selected in the second round, 42nd overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2024 NHL Draft. Hadi Kalakeche

April 2024 – Adam Kleber profiles as yet another one of the big, rangy defensemen in this year’s draft, but he comes with a lot of added benefits. He’s a good skater, has some very surprising small-area handling skills, he’s a good breakout passer, remarkably accurate in the offensive zone, and good at defending the rush, and that’s just the start. Kleber’s defensively intelligent and generally plays with that strength, but is no slouch offensively and is willing to get aggressive when the situation calls for it. The overall lack of speed and high-end skills might limit him going forward, but there’s a lot to like in Kleber as the top 6 defenseman he projects as now, and he has a very real path to some second pairing upside.  David Saad (April Rankings: 64th)

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 5.0
NHL Certainty 7.0
Country USA
Position D
Roster Type NCAA
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth March 24, 2006
Height 6‘6”
Weight 214 lbs
Drafted 2024 Round 2; Overall: 42
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Stats – Frozen Tools – Profile on FT

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGAPTSPIM+/-
2024-2025WJC-20USA U20601145
2024-2025NCAAUniv. of Minnesota-Duluth3323513-9
2023-2024WJAC-19USA U19602280
2023-2024USHLLincoln Stars565212626-12
2023-2024USA-S17Northern Plains District610110
2023-2024Hlinka Gretzky CupUSA U18501160
2022-2023USHLLincoln Stars5608881
2022-2023USA-S16Team Royal511200
2021-2022USHS-MNChaska High284131740
2021-2022USA-S15Team Purple401120
2021-2022MNHPB15 - District 6300000
2020-2021WSI U15Draftday Selects U15925700
2020-202114U AAAMinnesota Blades 14U AAA1327900
2019-2020MNBEL 14UMN Rangers 14U AAA401100
2019-2020MNBEL 13UMN Bolts 13U AAA1126800
2019-202015U AAChaska/Chanhassen Bantam AA3111718020
2015-2016Brick InvitationalTeam Minnesota601100

Highlights